


Amalgamate

by Depths



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Angst, Bad Parenting, Fluff, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Panic Attacks, Parental Figure Urbosa (Legend of Zelda), Pre-Calamity (Legend of Zelda), Rhoams A+ parenting, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Team as Family, Unresolved Tension, unsure if said build will be romantic or just stay gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27118469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Depths/pseuds/Depths
Summary: The Princess with the blood of the Goddess and her Champion, blessed with the power of the triforce, would fuse as one and become the weapon that seal the darkness. The stories of 10,000 years ago remained a fixed point of Hyrule's history.For Zelda, it was a fixed point of her fate.(Fusion!au)
Relationships: Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Urbosa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

“You know how this works, Princess Zelda,” The King scolded. 

Zelda refused to meet his eyes. An hour more of scolding wouldn’t change that. It was unfortunate that looking away from him meant looking at Link, solemn and silent in the corner of her eye. 

Stoic.  _ Infuriating. _

As if her father had seen her thoughts on her face, he sighed wearily. Zelda hid her hands in her flowing sleeves. At least there, no one would see her nails biting into her palms. “I  _ know _ it is difficult. I know our family history of fusion has been–– lackluster. But the weight and health of Hyrule rests on this! When will you  _ learn _ that, Zelda?” He sighed again, looking away from her. She did not answer. 

All at once, the steam seemed to rush out of him. “...Zelda,” He said, quieter. She looked up. The regret in his eyes did nothing to soften the rigid line of his shoulders. She looked away again. “Zelda... You  _ must _ keep trying.” 

_ I am already doing everything I can. I have done nothing but what the Goddess has claimed is my destiny, have lost my life to a war that has not yet peaked the horizon, and yet you––  _

Tears bit into her eyes. Zelda allowed her hands to tighten, and tighten, and tighten, and carefully shifted them further out of sight when blood wet her palms. She did not say a word. It never helped anything. 

The King slumped back in his seat. He looked old past his years. “...Just go,” He finally said. His tone, despondent and defeated, only made Zelda want to scream. The urge to just run, to escape into the middle of nowhere, returned as viscerally as it always did. Into the mountains, into the woods––  _ anywhere, _ as long as it was far from the caging walls of the castle–– and  _ scream. _ “Tomorrow, I expect you to return to either the Spring of Power or Courage You  _ must _ keep trying. I cannot allow you to continue gallivating around ancient machines and useless research when everything we know is at stake. Go to the Springs, and keep trying. Eventually, it will stick. We are out of other options.” 

_ All these years, all my prayers, all my research, all my dancing lessons, and  _ nothing _ has stuck. _ Zelda turned without a word, the very picture of dignified poise and grace. She allowed her feet to carry her mindlessly. She did not even stiffen at the familiar clicks and clanks of her knight’s armor as he rose to dutifully stalk her.  _ All for nothing. Everything for nothing. Has seeing us fall apart, over and over and over, not struck some sort of chord? What an “option” this is, father, that our kingdom is forced to rely on.  _

Zelda let the door to the throne room shut behind her and took off down the hall without waiting for her knight to follow. He was far efficient enough to stay on her heels no matter how hard she worked to shake him off anyway. Of course he was. Of course he  _ had _ to be. 

_ All for nothing. All for nothing.  _

What kind of failure of a princess–– of a  _ person–– _ was unable to fuse? 

_ I simply don't want to, _ her mind whispered. Zelda hated it. Hated––  _ him. I hate him. How could they ask this of me? To fuse with someone who so clearly looks down on me, who is the pure embodiment of everything I am not–– Do they find it funny? Is this joke laughable enough, yet? Am I a princess or a jester, pretending as if we could be anything more than each other’s reluctant company...! _

"Link," Zelda grit out, jaw creaking painfully with the effort to stay composed. The steps behind her obediently stilled. It only made her angrier. She did her best not to even chance a glance his way, a tense hand on her bedroom door. "When we go to the Spring of Power tomorrow..." she paused, swallowing thickly. Her mouth felt dry, tongue raw and thick. Something twisted tightly in her chest. "...You better not step on my feet," She forced out.

Link, as always, did not follow her past the threshold of her tower bedroom. Zelda was glad for at least that.

Hands shaking, she slumped to the floor and curled up against her bed. Her eyes filled with hot tears. Alone in her room, there was nothing to stop the mortification of being yelled at, of nearly snapping at Link. Even if he deserved it, her breaking would just be one more way she was a failure compared to him. Even in poise, she couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder with her own knight. How pathetic. How… 

_ Unfair. Unfair. Unfair. _

"What am I doing  _ wrong," _ Zelda choked out. "It was never supposed to be this difficult. We are meant to  _ match _ . We are meant to––"

She missed her mother. The late queen had never been able to give her her first dance like she was meant to. From queen to princess, the living blood of the goddess was  _ supposed _ to be the first fusion. Her mother had died before she could give her that. Her first fusion, lost. Had that broken something sacred? Was that why she––

_ It can't be. _ Zelda shook her head, nails digging into her palms. Fusion was something anyone was supposed to be able to do, royal or not. It was the one truth across all genders, classes, races. Something like that should have had no impact on her own abilities.

Yet none of her fusions remained stable. (Just dancing with Link felt  _ wrong _ . Mismatched. Awkward limbs and unsteady feet. The one merge they had managed to last for longer than a moment had felt so unbearably  _ ugly _ ––) The King refused to even entertain one with her. Always an excuse that he was busy, always an excuse that he wasn't the one she must fuse with. Zelda wrapped her arms around herself. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of her sleeves, yanking at the delicate seamwork.  _ So be it. _ It wasn’t as if she particularly  _ wanted _ to fuse with her father. Any fusion she could create with him would likely just feel awful. An ugly monster made up of his dismissive frustration and her own helplessness. 

She pressed her lips into a thin line to hold back a snarl unbefitting of a princess. Did  _ he _ think her so  _ pathetic _ as well? Was that why they couldn’t, did  _ he _ think––

Zelda buried her head in her arms and tried to breathe.

Tomorrow, they would face the Spring of Power.

Tomorrow, she would have to force herself to try again.


	2. The Spring of Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda is determined to finally fuse. The fate of Hyrule depends on it, whether she likes it or not.

Her dress dragged behind her.

Usually, it annoyed her. Her ceremonial gown, even outfitted to be light and water-resistant in the springs, still weighed her down immensely. Even something "water-resistant" couldn't hope to be anything less than waterlogged with how many hours she had kept it in the waist-high springs. It would be  _ unfitting _ of a royal of her stature, but the idea of shucking it off, and just praying in something lesser was sometimes tempting.

If it were even possible. 

Zelda kept her eyes turned steadfastly forward. Risking looking at the object of her thoughts was bound to end up with her openly glaring at him. Even if it were only the other champions accompanying them. None of them would do something to openly mock her. They were good people. Gentle people, even if battle-hardened. They weren't cruel. But she hadn't heard the end of it, the last time the King had caught rumors of her  _ attention. _

After all, what sort of fated fusion pair despised each other?

She almost laughed. It clogged in her throat like a handful of thorns, sharp and thick.

_ What a hope for our future we are. _

She continued to wade forward. The weight of her gown grew exponentially.

Still. A princess knew what was expected of her. All royals did–– and her, with her role, well, there was no possible escape from it––

Zelda turned her back to Hylia's image and stared down her nose at her knight, barely a step behind and just as miserably wet. She might have felt kinship if she could manage anything around the all-consuming annoyance.

_ How eager you are. You just love to show me up, don't you? _

_ (Failure. Failure. Failure.) _

It took every fiber of her being not to let her face twist in disdain, reaching out a hand for him. There were more important things than her bitterness. There always were. Success succeeded all. Success for her people, for the kingdom, for their future... for her father. Success he could finally look at and be proud of. Success he would finally decide was something  _ "worth" _ her time, success he would finally just  _ leave her alone with if she could just grab it–– _

"Well?" Zelda snapped. Link's ears flicked nervously. Ever the silent, ever the stoic.  _ I am meant to be a relic of wisdom. You can never hope to fool me, with that clay mask of yours.  _ The smallest hint of anxiety was still no victory. "Come here. How am I meant to fuse with you, if you are too afraid to face me?"

The words bit angrily at her. But it would take more than even a royal constitution to admit she was projecting.

Or to apologize for it.

Link's lips pressed into a thin line. Something in her boiled at the sight of it. Still, he readily placed his hand in hers.

Letting her lead. At least one thing could happen in a way that was–– that was something. Something she could control. Something she could do differently. Anything that separated her, in minuscule amounts, from the beautiful, gentle, wise princess of Hyrule. From the bloodline of the Goddess herself.

Something. It was something.

"Don't step on my feet," Zelda reminded again, and felt mixed between shame and something frustratingly unidentifiable that the words lacked the heat she meant for them to have. It was at least a consolidation, that the rest of the champions waited patiently (and out of hearing range) outside of the Spring of Power.

Not that that would make it any easier to do any sort of dance when waist-deep in water. If the waltz weren't a fixed part of her royal status, she might have entertained the idea that her father had her be taught it only to aid her in fusing here. A faster dance would have just been chaos. 

Zelda pulled on Link's hand and cringed as his callouses rubbed uncomfortably across her palm.

She doubted he even noticed, but she made an effort to hide it anyway. There was nothing embarrassing about hard work.

There were plenty of things embarrassing (annoying. frustrating. pointless. aggravating.), however, in being forced to pull him closer. Her hand instinctively laid on Link's side, curling around his ribs. He stiffened immediately. "Oh," Zelda gasped, ripping her hand away. Link moved as if to grab her hand, eyes just barely widening, but instead stopped as she froze.

They just stood there, cold, wet, and staring at each other. 

Link's face gave nothing away even as Zelda could feel her heart hammering. She barely even knew why she had reacted like that–– Link was not a child. He wasn't even a  _ friend. _ Soldier or not, everyone knew how to dance. It was his own fault for flinching, his own fault for–– 

The knight took a step forward. His eyes intent on hers, he cautiously lifted his arms in an unsteady approximation of how she had.

Zelda took in a deep breath.  _ It's not his fault. Not everything is his fault. Get a grip, you don't have time for this.  _ Carefully she raised her arms again.

They paused just before touching him. "We are going to do a ballroom waltz," She explained slowly. "It's the dance taught to all of the royal bloodline.  _ I _ am leading, so my hands will go here," gently, she settled her palm back on Link's back, curling her arm as far from him as she could, "...and here." 

He said nothing as she took his hand again. At the very least, he managed to look offput despite his face. His free right arm dangled awkwardly over the arm around his side. Zelda looked between his expression and his arm. Would it... be rude of her, to laugh? The reputation of the silent knight couldn't possibly stand if it's bearer couldn't even...

Something unexpectedly light and bubbly rose in her stomach. It curled in her throat, behind her teeth, on the tip of her tongue, fluttering like butterflies.

It was so unlike the usual nausea and tension she had that she almost choked on it.

Link was still staring at her, waiting.

"Your–– your arm," Zelda finally managed. It came out slightly forced. If Link noticed at all, he didn't, as usual, deign to comment. He only raised said arm a tiny increment. "You're supposed to... put it. On my arm." 

He looked at her for a moment, eyes searching. Zelda nearly snorted when he  _ oh-so-delicately _ placed his entire arm overtop hers. Maybe she didn't hide it well enough–– his eyes jerked back up to hers.

"No," Zelda said. Her voice shook a little with laughter. Now that it was there, the force of it was nearly hysterical–– she couldn't seem to shake it off. There was just something undeniably funny about it all. Maybe she was stressed and exhausted, and scared, and frustrated. Maybe Link was just a big weird retriever in a Hylian body. But watching her most powerful knight look anything but the perfect and graceful soldier her father claimed him to be was–– "No, just your hand. Yes, there, below my shoulder."

The weight of a hand, even light and rough as his, was familiar. The rise of their joined arms was familiar. The stance of her feet, the tilt of her torso... Without even breathing, Zelda's body settled into it. Easy movements. Childhood lessons ingrained the moment she could walk. 

This was something she knew like the back of her hand. 

Zelda took a deep breath, steadying herself, and pressed forward into the first, simple step of a waltz––

––and nearly sent the both of them toppling headfirst into the spring as Link froze and failed to move with her. 

All mirth quickly faded. The frustration was just as familiar as the steps itself if only strange for not being for herself; "Did no one teach you to dance?" Zelda snapped. "We can't keep doing this. You need to trust my movements. I am  _ leading, _ so just follow my guidance. This is supposed to be  _ easy." _

_ I even chose an easy one for you,  _ a voice in her head said, unexpectedly hurt.

It was stupid to feel betrayed over something so small. Something so out of his control.

_ (But she did.) _

"Again," Zelda ordered, regal and commanding, and just as immediately hated herself for it. The fragile peace lingering in the clearing snapped like spider webs under a careless touch. Link's entire being snapped into focus. This was not a friend. Not a  _ person. _ This was a knight under her command, standing at attention.

She was too frustrated to care. If anything, it was easier. Easier to think of the knight as a thing rather than a person–– rather than someone who had thoughts, and feelings, thoughts and feelings so very likely to be about her and what a childish  _ failure _ she was acting like––

_ "Again. _ Did you not hear me?" Zelda snapped. Link's hand in hers was solid as stone. Steady. Strong. Yet, at that moment, it felt delicate as glass.

That was fine. This wasn't the first time. The thought of repeating the same mistakes, over and over, just made her angrier.

(Desperately so. The only option for her was to have  _ results.) _

The hand on her arm tightened near painfully. Zelda ignored it and swung them both into a curving arc, kicking them both into gear and forcing Link to awkwardly stumble through the water with her. The previous trip to the Spring of Courage had left him with no skills to speak of. They probably looked like one big joke, more wading than waltzing in uncontrolled circles.

It didn't matter. None of that did. All of her concentration fixated on the dance. On the steps.  _ One, two, three, four. _ Lead to the left, pull your partner around with you.  _ One, two, three, four–– _

Link floundered visibly when her hand left his back. Zelda tugged at their joined hands until he stumbled into a messy spin, feet tripping over the weight of the water, over himself, over the soggy hem of her dress––

Zelda snapped out of her concentration, yelping, as Link fell against her and  _ into her. _

_ It's working! It's–– _

Wrong. Horribly  _ wrong. _ Pain raced up her––his––  _ their _ body, aching and sharp and dragging all at once. All of their glowing edges, their shifting curves––

**_HATE. HATE THIS. HATE HIM. HATE MYSELF._ **

It was not Zelda. They were not Link. They were–– they were wrong. They were in  _ pain. _ They––

**_I AM SUCH A FAILURE._ **

Agony cracked through their skull like a physical blow. Like lighting directly to their nerves, hot and cold and  _ horrible _ , how could anything feel so disgusting and  _ putrid _ ––

Something shattered, and Zelda fell to her hands and knees in the Spring of Power, puking her guts out.

The splashing and voices around her sounded out of focus and muffled. She could barely think over the noise in her head. Zelda panted roughly, staring down at her broken reflection. Her stomach still turned painfully.

_ What was... _

A warm hand brushed against her back, her shoulders, pulling her hair back. Long nails scratched gently against her cold, wet skin, and Zelda shivered weakly, goosebumps rising all over her. "Easy now," Urbosa's calm, soothing tone filtered back in through the fuzz. "We need to get you out of the water. Can you move yet?"

Zelda coughed a little. "I, I don't know," She managed, and immediately cringed. Her mouth tasted disgusting. She  _ felt _ disgusting. "What–– what happened?It worked, it was  _ working, _ and then––"

Urbosa smoothed her free hand down Zelda's shoulder. "It's okay. We will talk about it after we leave," She said. "Come on, that's it." They both stood up. Even leaning heavily on Urbosa, Zelda struggled to crane her head enough to catch sight of the–– of Link. She felt bile almost rise in her throat again when she finally caught sight of his familiar sandy-haired head, ducked low enough for his forehead to touch the water. There was no missing the way he was trembling. Mipha whispered at him gently, kneeling at his side. Her tiny hands glowed with familiar light.

Zelda couldn't hear what the Zora princess was saying, but she could definitely hear Daruk's frantic calls of his name.

_ I did that? I–– I did that to him? _

"Let's go," Urbosa coaxed, and Zelda turned away from her knight and left the Spring of Power.

Another  _ failure. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am having way too much fun writing this. even if no one reads it lmfaooo
> 
> next up, zelda asks urbosa for fusing advice-- and advice in general.


	3. Electric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda has a talk with Urbosa.

The heat of the desert had quickly a welcoming feeling. Zelda kept her eyes closed to the harsh sunlight, letting Urbosa gently dab ointment across her cheeks.

"Sit still, little bird," Urbosa murmured. Fingers swept down the bridge of her nose, smearing the cool gooey everywhere. Zelda didn't flinch. It had stopped being uncomfortable after the first ten times she had to do this. "You really do just forget every time. Perhaps it's time to start keeping some of this in the slate."

She could. It wouldn't be any sort of hardship, to go and buy some medicine of her own–– or even to make it. Urbosa had patiently explained how to properly scrape the thick walls of the hydromelons to make it ages ago.

"Maybe," Zelda said. When she opened her eyes, Urbosa only smirked at her, one brow raised. Zelda couldn't help but smile back, a little, even as she flushed with embarrassment under her newly sunburned cheeks. Even having known Urbosa so long, it never seemed to fade under that look. "But maybe not."

Urbosa flung her head back, cackling loudly. Her hand slipped from Zelda's face, instead settling warmly on her shoulder. "I see," She said, and when she grinned down at the princess Zelda could see nothing but fondness in the woman's face. "But you didn't come here for me to tell you that, did you, little bird."

Any hope of relaxing flew out of the window. Zelda tried not to tense. By the look on Urbosa's face, she didn't quite succeed. "I..." She swallowed. How was she even supposed to say it? All of them had been there, had _seen_ what happened–– "I humbly request your advice, Lady Urbosa, if you could..." 

She paused as Urbosa's hand squeezed her shoulder. The older woman looked seriously down at her, eyes like steel. "You don't need to talk like that, Zelda," She said firmly. "Not with me. Not when it's just us." When Zelda only ducked down, nodding quietly, she sighed. Zelda twisted her hands together in her hand when long nails gently carded through her hair. "This is about what happened at the Spring, isn't it?"

Shame. Hot and heavy and sickening. It tasted like bile, on the back of her throat.

Zelda swallowed again. The feeling didn't go away. "Yes. You... Everyone saw what happened when we–– when we––"

"Zelda."

She looked up. To her further embarrassment, Urbosa's sharply painted face wavered through her tears. But the woman stopped her before she could look away, thumb swiping carefully under the princess' eye. "That wasn't fusion, little bird," She said quietly.

Zelda gave up on holding them in. Tears slipped down her cheeks, just as hot and frustrating and degrading as when they had fallen apart; when her hands had hit the water and she had _known––_ "Then I failed to fuse again?" She whispered. "I was–– we were so close. Was that not it either? Did I still..." 

"No, little bird, no." Urbosa picked her up as easily as a kitten, holding her close to her side. Her arm was warm and strong around her shaking shoulders. Zelda curled into that warmth and squeezed her eyes tight. "I'm not saying that. It was fusion, but it wasn't... a healthy kind. A stable kind. None of us arrived in time to fully get a glimpse of you but..."

Her voice trailed off. Zelda huddled impossibly closer, wishing she was small enough to hide in the Chieftain's skirts. Even far from the castle, away from prying eyes within the depths of Vah Nabooru, she still felt she wasn't hidden _enough._

At this rate, she was beginning to doubt there wasn't a nook or cranny in all of Hyrule that could make her feel secure.

She looked up, immediately locking eyes with Urbosa. The woman didn't bother pretending she hadn't been staring. Not that Zelda expected her to. There was no one in all of Hyrule who could match the unapologetic self-assertiveness Urbosa radiated. Zelda had a feeling she would always admire her capacity in that regard––

Zelda blinked, brow furrowing, as Urbosa's warmth left her side. The chieftain's skirts swept in a spiral of electric-blue around her legs as she knelt before her.

"Zelda," Urbosa asked, "Would you give me the honor of fusing with me?"

Her heart stuttered in her chest. 

"...What?" Zelda squeaked.

Urbosa did not falter. Her eyes remained steadfast where they were fixed on Zelda's. "I will not push you if you don't want to. But it may help you be able to fuse with Link better if you know how fusion is meant to feel in general." Zelda only gaped. Urbosa smiled at her, expression softening. She pushed her hair out of her face, painted nails endlessly gentle where they grazed Zelda's forehead. "I won't guarantee it will solve all your problems, of course. The reason your fusion with your knight refuses to work has a deeper meaning than simply knowing how to step to a tune or twirl on cue. But if you think this may help you, than I will gladly fuse with you." 

Zelda could only stare. "The–– my father," She tried. "He said–– I'm not, I... I'm only supposed to fuse with the chosen hero of the Goddess."

Urbosa regarded her calmly. "Do you believe that?" 

She could feel her jaw clicking. Zelda couldn't help the way she gaped, mouth opening and closing even as nothing came out. Her nails dug into her knees. "I... I don't know." 

_Do I?_

Her focus fell away. _Urbosa_ fell away. Zelda stared into the distance, unable to shift her mind away from it now that it was there. 

_Mother was supposed to be my first. She was not a knight or a hero. She was not Link. My first fusion was always supposed to be––_

"I suppose I don't," Zelda admitted, and the sheer freedom of saying it out loud nearly took her breath away. 

Urbosa looked nothing but proud when she turned back to her. Her eyes sparkled with something electric, something–– 

Zelda shot to her feet. There was a sudden pull in her bones she couldn't identify. It roared through her, sharp as steel and hot as embers, searing through her skin. It was unignorable. The force of it would be enough to sweep her off her feet if she let it. 

She threw her hand out, palm up, fingers open. If it trembled, Urbosa refused to comment on it. 

"I would be honored if you would fuse with me, Lady Urbosa," Zelda declared. 

Urbosa grinned with all her teeth, painted lips parting like clouds after a storm. She towered over Zelda when she stood, but when she took Zelda's offered hand, still so very attentive to not accidentally scratch her, Zelda felt nothing but safe. This was her friend. Her mother's friend. A person who was important to her. Someone so full of power, with none of the intent to direct any of it at her.

Powerful arms pulled her to the center of the shaded little alcove. "Belly dancing is the most common dance of choice for my people, as well as the use of scimitars," Urbosa warned. her hips did a testing shimmy, making the ornamental metal pieces of her belt and jewelry jingle musically. Zelda eyed the fluid movement with awe. "But I doubt the King had allowed you to learn any dance outside of those coveted by the Hylian royal family."

"I would like to learn, if you'd have me," Zelda said quickly.

Urbosa threw her head back with a laugh. Her eyes remained warm where they settled on Zelda's face. "I don't doubt that you would, little bird," she teased. "Maybe, once everything is over, you could stay with my sisters for a while. We would teach you every step if you wanted to know them."

She did. Very much so. The contained, careful boundaries implicit in a royal waltz were nowhere to be found in the controlled, precise fury of movement Urbosa used. Where a waltz was refined, belly dancing looked _fun_.

It looked _free_.

"Just do your best to sync with me," Urbosa coaxed, "Fusion will come in time. We don't have to rush anything."

Zelda didn't think it would be a problem at all. With every flaring swirl of blue skirts and vibrant red hair, clicking heels and roaring laughter–– Zelda threw herself into step with the champion and felt electricity coarse through her. Her fingertips to her toes buzzed with energy. When she laughed, open and breathless, chasing Urbosa's swiveling twirls and turns, she could taste the sharp-tinged magic of Urbosa's power on her tongue.

She felt a little foolish, spinning madly on her toes. There was nothing graceful about her, in the moment. Yet, twirling and gliding around the little space, fingertips grazing desert-tinged sunlight, Zelda felt more joy in being childish than she ever did in trying to match up to a legend.

"You're quick on your feet, little bird," Urbosa cheered her on, her bright hair flashing over her shoulder red-hot like struck embers, hot like the flush in Zelda's cheeks and the bubbling furnace of warmth in her chest, "I bet you can be even _quicker!"_

 _You would never do me the disrespect of underestimating me,_ Zelda thought, lungs filling with dry, burning air. Coughing out sand never felt so sweet. She reached for Urbosa and saw almost in slow motion how Urbosa readily extended her own hand, painted nails glittering in the bits of sunlight that reached into their nook. _My ally. My friend._

Electric. The thunderstorm swirled and settled in her chest, roaring like a lynel. Zelda felt nothing but the steel-tanged adrenaline of victory when she took Urbosa's hand.

Then the world melted together, and she was not Zelda.

She rose to her full height–– or tried to. Her head grazed the ceiling. Thickly braided locks pressed down against the crown of her head. Her layered skirts pooled against her thighs as she bent down. The feeling of fabric pulling against her legs, when she knelt, was strange, but not fully unfamiliar–– like trying on clothes that no longer fully fit.

Zeldosa slid open piercing seafoam green eyes.

"We..." She looked down, raising her hands. They clenched and unclenched slowly, pulling at new muscles. "I feel... _powerful."_

Glittering, colorful jewelry, mixed between Urbosa's bright reds and Zelda's signature blues. Armor clicked in places both foreign and not. The weight of hair, strawberry blonde, thick where it nearly pooled to the floor. The mask of makeup painting her face in vibrant splashes. If she had the room to stand, she wondered if she would trip over her heeled boots. There was little space to try. There was little space to do much more than stare.

Zeldosa had no problems with that. Her heart beat with overwhelming excitement just to see herself. Just to stare down at her hands, at her clothes, at herself and know that it meant...

Clench. Loosen. Zeldosa ran her painted nails down the new expanse of her body in awe.

 _One with my people. One with myself. One with the princess, with the Chieftain. Never alone again. We are one as we are many, never to leave the other behind._ Not even the heat of the desert could do more than make them pause. They were powerful. They were _whole._ They were––

"Nothing could hope to stop me," She breathed.

She jumped to her feet, overcome in childish excitement––

––and banged her head loudly against the roof. The thick curtain hair did nothing to stop the sharp pain that floored her, nor the strangled yelp that ripped from her throat.

The world shifted into blinding, dizzying light, and Zelda rolled across the floor of the alcove, holding her head and groaning.

Strong hands wrapped around her shoulders, gently pulling her off the floor. Zelda opened her eyes to Urbosa's smile. All at once, the success, the excitement of it all–– She flung herself at Urbosa, giggling madly when the other hugged her tightly. "It worked," She shouted, breathless with it, "It worked, it worked! We fused, and, and–– oh, Urbosa, you never told me it would feel so right, so _complete_ ––"

Urbosa stroked through her hair, laughing into her shoulder. "It only feels so good because it is us," She said, but her voice was giddy beyond her composure. "It only works because we trust each other."

She pulled away, hands firm and gentle all at once where they gripped Zelda's shoulders. Zelda felt tears sting her eyes as the warmth in her green eyes.

"That is what fusion is meant to feel like, little bird," She murmured. "This is what your first fusion was always meant to be. Safe. Stable." Her hand slid up, caressing Zelda's cheek in a touch so foreign, and yet so familiar. Something she hadn't truly felt since...

The tears fell. Zelda drew in a shuddering sob and Urbosa's eyes shut for a brief moment, filled with grief. She pulled Zelda close again and the princess did not hesitate to latch onto her as if she were her anchor in a storm. 

"I miss your mother dearly, Zelda," Urbosa said, quietly resolute, "And I wish she had... I wish you had gotten the chance to fuse with her, when she was still with us. I wish the Goddess hadn't taken her from us so early." Her palm rubbed Zelda's back soothingly. She didn't do anymore more than hold her tighter when Zelda buried her face in the crook of her shoulder. "But know that I would not give anything in the world to have her in your place. You're very important, little bird. Not just because you're a princess, or are destined for divine power. You're important just for being _you_."

She held her until Zelda's crying calmed, cradling her from the desert heat in the divine beast. Even then, neither of them moved. If Link never came to retrieve either of them, then so be it. Personal guard or not, Zelda was plenty safe at Urbosa's side for the moment.

But.

"When you are ready, Zelda," Urbosa said quietly. Zelda stirred, but did not look up. That was fine. Urbosa laid a hand on her head, allowing Zelda to lean into her touch. "I would like you to try again with Link. Not to fuse," She said before Zelda could say anything, "Just try to... spend time with him. You can't force a fusion with a partner you can't trust, much less one you don't even like. A dance alone isn't enough to sync with someone you don't know."

"I do know him," Zelda muttered, voice raw.

Urbosa shook her head. "You don't. He's barely more than a stranger to all of us––" She paused. "––except maybe Mipha. But that's a given."

Zelda didn't respond to that. By her even breathing, Urbosa had a feeling she was asleep before the thought had even left her lips.

She stared down at the sleeping princess, carefully adjusting her to lay more comfortably against her side. The cooling desert heat, at the very least, didn't demand any blankets. Not that Zelda would likely even notice if she did start shivering in her sleep. The princess was a rather dead sleeper.

Urbosa sighed quietly and looked out over the desert. The golden sands shone as vibrantly red as her own hair in the wake of the setting sun. In the distance, she could see the waking glow of her people lighting lanterns. If she breathed in deeply, she swore she could taste the spice of meals and sharp perfumes even over the dry wind.

It was a peace she only hoped could last forever.

"If it can't," She murmured to herself, "At least I will know we died for something worth protecting."

All of it precious; all of it so very, very worth protecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ZELDA URBOSA FUSION CAN I GET A HELL YEAH
> 
> can i say that designing fusions between characters who are different species is hell!!!! I've drawn both Zelda and Link's fusion as well as Urbosa and Zelda's, and I'm already dreading trying to work out mipha and link. it's going to be hell. i spent Hours just looking at clothing references yesterday.
> 
> Also, Urbosa's dancing is a type of belly dancing hybrid-- but when I was looking stuff up, I realized belly dancing isn't great for fusion since it's primarily performative and not an interactive/duo type dance? I tried to shift it a little, but I'm not exactly someone who knows anything about dance. lmk if you have suggestions


	4. Clicking, Perfectly, into place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda goes to talk to Link, who is taking a break at Zora's Domain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving!

For someone always hovering barely a step behind her, her knight certainly excelled at making himself scarce.

Zelda paused at the mouth of one of the bridges leading away from the Domain and forced herself to take a deep breath. Her temporary guards' armor clicked as they shuffled behind her. 

The cover of armor had done little to hide their nervousness from her. Not that she could blame them–– embarrassing or not, Zelda wasn't oblivious to how even soldiers gossiped. Rumor spread quickly no matter where it ran.

She refused to let it fluster her. "Remain here," She ordered firmly. Another benefit of normal guards–– they did what she told them to. Very unlike her personal knight, trailing obstinately after her like a fully armed duckling... 

The guards looked between her and the Domain, eyes unsure, and Zelda tried to smile for them. "I will be back quickly, do not worry. Link will certainly hear me coming long before I see him and will protect me if I find I have need of it–– but I will only be heading to the Lake Reservoir. Perhaps you may all take this opportunity to take a break among the Domain while I run my errands?"

Another look shared between them. Noisy shuffling. Maybe there was some benefit to Link's stoic behavior if it meant everything he felt weren't translated into clanking bits of metal and chainmail.

Zelda continued to smile. Anything that helped, she had learned, was worth it. No matter what anyone else said.

One finally broke. His shuffling silenced. "...If you are certain, Princess Zelda," He murmured, bowing. "Then we will wait here for your return."

_ Success. _ It felt so good. Zelda smiled a little wider, clasping her hands behind her back. "Good. I hope this visit will be as enlightening for yourself as it will be me." 

Without waiting for a reply, happily humming, she headed for the high wall of the dam. All that stood in her way now was a short, wet expanse of grass and corals, and the long staircase of the reservoir itself. Which was nothing, technically. The number of stairs in Hyrule Castle itself would far outstretch the little staircase leading up to the reservoir, and she walked those daily.

Practically nothing in her way. The smallest hardship she would ever face. It wouldn't be more than a few minutes before she... before...

Zelda slowed to a stop. Her hand clenched around the carved railing of the reservoir stairs felt slick and freezing cold.

_ Link is up there. _

The full realization of what was happening, what she was  _ doing, _ hit her hard. Her breath left her. Her boots refused to move another step. 

_ Link is up there.  _

"Am I really about to do this?" Zelda whispered. She couldn't budge an inch. The discomfort from before, the nausea, the frustration, the mortification–– it all washed over her at once, leaving her hot and cold in feverish flashes. What had she even expected? What did she think was even going to happen? Urbosa was an amazing person, a brilliant warrior, and a steadfast chief who had no doubt successfully fused many times. She had no doubts about that. But this was... different.

Zelda doubted someone like Urbosa could ever screw up so badly as to scare away her fusion partner, much less have the gall to ask them to come back and do it all over again.

_ You must keep trying.  _

Tears bit at her eyes. She was ashamed of them. Her nails chipped painfully where she raked them against the luminous stone railing.

_ The weight and health of Hyrule rests on this.  _

"I  _ know  _ that," She forced out. Her bottom lip quivered. Zelda bit down on it hard. It didn't help. 

_ When will you learn that, Zelda? _

"I don't know anything else," Zelda whispered. "I don't–– I don't know what to do."

No help from her father. No help from the King. No help from her mother. Urbosa knew what to do. Urbosa had told her to––

_ Go to Link,  _ Zelda reminded herself. Forcing her hand off the railing was as painful as dragging her palm from ice. She felt as if she had ripped something apart, moving herself another step forward.  _ Go to Link. Suck it up, and apologize. There are no second chances for the weak. We must succeed, or watch Hyrule fall trying.  _

At the very least, they had solidarity. They were both failures, for once, standing on equal ground. Zelda had not been the only one left shaking and silent in the wake of the Spring of Power. Zelda had not been the only one unsteady and unstable, the only one struggling, the only one––

"Link," Zelda called out desperately, her hand finally hitting the end of the rail.

Blue. Champion blue. Blue and gold and silvers. A peach colored head whipped around, ragged fins framing a delicate face. 

Zelda stared into unforgettably sea green eyes, recognizable even with pupils slitted and distinctly amphibian, and felt all her hopes crumble at her feet.

"Princess," Mipha–– Link––  _ they  _ whispered, voice high-pitched and faint. The fusion wavered and fell apart at the seams. Mipha stumbled weakly to her feet. Link fell immediately into a kneel. His head was kept ducked low to the ground, face carefully out of sight. 

Zelda couldn't say a word. Couldn't move at all, not even to comment on how clumsy Link's usually seamless movement was. She couldn't offer a hand to the Zora princess even as a tremor ran visibly through her legs. She couldn't do a thing at all. She stared and saw nothing; stood without breathing.

_ They make a perfect fusion.  _

A seamless one. A  _ practiced  _ one. A fusion whose features bled and melted into one another, becoming something new. It wasn't just two people. It was a whole new person. A true union. A  _ perfect fusion. _

She stared without seeing. Something like betrayal welled up in her, rising hot and thick in her throat. 

_ I thought you couldn’t dance. _

(Were you just making fun of me?) 

A delicate touch to her arm startled her, making her gasp. Zelda turned to see Mipha staring up at her, eyes wide. The petite Zora almost looked scared. Anxious beyond what Zelda had been witness to before. Her pupils slit and lips pressed tight, fins held close to the body and shoulders stiff.

It wasn't an expression that suited her.

"Princess Zelda?" Mipha asked, quietly. Her delicate hands floundered around Zelda, palms carrying a faint, flickering glow even as she never fully touched her. Behind her, Link remained statuesque, curled in on himself in his kneel. "A-Are you alright? I'm quite sorry to have startled you like this, I know you must find it highly indecent and insensitive for us to have..."

Zelda managed to smile. "It's fine." 

Mipha's expression remained distressed. His gold eyes flickered between her and Link, fins flicking nervously. Zelda watched without seeing as her hands curled into each other, rubbing at her knuckles. "Are... you certain? You..." She trailed off. 

Zelda was glad for it, even though her own relief made her feel a little sick. Breathing in deeply, she scrounged up as real a smile as she could, reaching out to touch Mipha's hands. The Zora Princess's eyes searched her face carefully. "It really is fine, Mipha," She said, and tried her best to mean it. "You and Link are childhood friends, are you not? It's not my place to tell him or you who he's allowed to fuse with. He may be my knight but he isn't my slave."

Link twitched behind Mipha, head just barely raising. Zelda still couldn't catch what expression might have been on his face. 

Her words weren't an apology, but she hoped it was working towards one. A proper one. No matter what she saw (what she interrupted) she still came with a purpose she intended to fulfill. No matter what. 

_ I refuse to be a failure. Even if–– _

"Then," Mipha fidgeted a little, cheeks flushing. "Would you... Do you mind if we re-fuse? We promised Sidon Lipha would take him swimming today." When Zelda didn't respond, Mipha went right back to wringing her hands but did not back down. "You can come if you would like to, of course," She added. After a moment, the idea seemed to light something back up in her, pushing her nervousness down. Zelda was unsure whether to feel heartened or offended by it. "Oh, Sidon is a shy little fry right now, but meeting more people outside the Domain would truly do him some good! Would you please accompany us, Princess?"

Link remained unmoving. He hadn't twitched since Zelda had said he wasn't her slave. The only sign he was even listening was the perk of his ears towards them. 

His demure posture, submissive and silent... Zelda's blood boiled a little and she had no idea why. The frustration was a constant when it came to him, but she couldn't fully identify  _ what _ exactly about him now was so frustrating. He was just one big... something. The most irritating mystery she had ever dealt with. She could hardly believe she had come up here with the idea that she would just–– what? Apologize? Fix things, just like that? That wasn't how things worked. That wasn't how––

_ Just spend time with him,  _ Urbosa's voice chided gently.  _ You can't force a fusion with a partner you can't trust, much less one you don't even like. A dance alone isn't enough to sync with someone you don't know. _

Mipha seemed to have managed it so easily. Practiced and smooth and perfect. Just like how she had easily learned to guide Vah Ruta. Just as she was perfect and polished as the heir to her throne.

Maybe Zelda needed to just take a step back and observe. Link himself would likely not appreciate being treated as an experiment but... ashamedly, she could admit even that would likely be a step up from how she was already treating him.

Link was Mipha's childhood friend. They knew each other in ways Zelda didn't expect to herself. If Urbosa was right–– and Zelda didn't doubt she was–– that she just needed to "get to know" Link, well. Mipha would be the best person to teach her, wouldn't she?

_ (I wonder if he drops that stoicism if he's with her.) _

"I'd love to, if you'd have me," Zelda said, and when Mipha beamed at her she could only feel, even through her frustration and fear, that she had made the right decision.

The Zora girl turned on her heel, trotting back towards Link. 

Link finally stood to face her properly, and Zelda's vision tunneled in on them. On their hands, their feet, the tilt of their torsos; what sort of dance did the Zora people prize? Was that maybe the kind of dance Link himself was familiar with, having grown up with them? Maybe–– maybe it was all he knew. She had no idea if the Zora made use of a waltz to fuse, after all, and all her education of fusion fixated on her fate as the Princess with the Blood of the Goddess––

Mipha held out her hand for Link to touch, and their bodies lit up in white.

Zelda's mouth fell open.

Barely a second passed. Zelda stood, shocked, as the same peach-colored Zora turned to face her. Ragged fins, marred with scars and yet just as beautiful. A slight face framing intense green eyes. Mipha's wrap stretched to cover the fusion's shoulder down like a shawled sleeve, held in place by a shiny silver buckle. 

Several of Link's belts still wrapped the figure's lithe hips, even transformed into something halfway as elegant as Mipha's adorning jewelry–– silver metal anklets moved up to the knees, bracelets switched out for Link's own Gerudo arm straps. Mipha's silver headdress had shifted into something sharper, circular jewels and loops becoming the taunting points and edges of triangles. It trailed down the back of the fusion's finless tailfin rather than wrapping around, silver bands wrapped around the middle like armor.

Delicate. Petite. Yet all of Mipha's easy grace and Link's stoicism had transformed into something quiet and fierce, small figure focused and deadly.

"Hello," The fusion said quietly. Zelda couldn't honestly decide whether their voice was rough or smooth. It came out of them quiet, deceivingly gentle; ocean waves on the sand. "I am Lipha."

"You––" Zelda swallowed. "You didn't dance."

Lipha's eyes strayed slightly to the left of hers, settling somewhere in the distance. "The first time I was made was an accident. But it never needed a dance."

_ None? None at all? _ Zelda's heart dipped. _ Does Link not know how to dance at all, even if he fuses? _ Did he just never bother? She certainly wouldn't have bothered to learn, as a child, if she could just fuse with a single touch, but this way...

The despair roared back in full force.  _ I will never be able to do that with him. _

Unbeknownst to her thoughts, the fusion offered her a hand. Zelda could only stare at it. Her thoughts were still reeling. How was she supposed to just keep moving? More and more things just kept being thrown at her. 

"Sidon is waiting," Lipha reminded her. When she managed a tiny nod they took her hand, pulling her back towards the reservoir stairs. Their hand felt cool in hers, calloused and oddly rubbery–– as if the typical Zora scales had become something almost amphibious in fusion. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Zelda registered that as fascinating.

Her guards were nowhere to be seen when they walked back into the Domain plaza. If she listened, Zelda swore she could hear at least one of their voices, chatting with a Zora woman inside a store, but none of them noticed her return. Not that she bore much of a presence at the moment to be noticed. If anything, she was grateful for it. 

What attention they did get, Lipha commanded elegantly away from her. Though quiet, it seemed that Mipha's poise and charm still shone through even Link's stoic awkwardness into something controllable. 

"Lipha!"

Zelda finally snapped out of her trance at the feeling of a small body catapulting into her legs.

"Sidon," Lipha said quickly. Zelda only blinked down at the little Zora prince, taking in his tiny, squishable features. He gazed up at her with just as much surprise, golden eyes huge. "Mipha always says to be careful running in the Domain."

"It's alright," Zelda found herself saying. Sidon startled at her voice, finally moving to duck behind Lipha's slender legs. It didn't do much to hide him. Not when his long tailfin dragged behind him, circling one of Lipha's legs–– and especially not when he peeked around them to keep staring at her. "Hello, Sidon."

"Hi," He murmured. 

His eyes were huge. Were all Zora children supposed to be so cute? Zelda smiled more easily down at him, crouching down. Sidon leaned a little further from Lipha, tail anchoring himself around their shin. "Are you a Hylian like Link?" He asked quietly. "You don' have 'ny fins or scales..."

"Yes. I'm a Hylian like Link is. Is it okay if I come with you for your swimming lessons?"

Sidon watched her warily for a moment. He looked up when Lipha nudged him, reaching down to pat his head. Zelda watched with rare delight as he took a careful step away from the fusion, stretching out a tentative hand to touch her knee. She smiled when he nodded.

"Thank you," Zelda said warmly, and when Sidon slipped back behind Lipha, stretching up on his tiptoes for the fusion to scoop him up, the lingering cold in her chest stayed pushed down.

It was... only a bonus that it made it far easier to meet Lipha's eyes.

Zelda smiled at the Zora. "Where to?" She asked. 

Lipha smiled at her. Zelda felt her cheeks warm up and hoped it didn't show on her face. Luckily the fusion turned away to instead face Sidon, nudging the tiny Zora until he pulled his face from their neck. "Mikau Lake," They said, "It's accessible on foot and a good size for practice." 

Sidon pouted up at them. Lipha squinted down at the prince, green eyes faintly playful even through their seemingly default stoniness. Zelda felt the need to push a hand to her mouth to avoid laughing when she noticed their long tailfin wagging behind them, swaying like a cat's tail. "You're not big enough to scale bigger waterfalls on your own yet," they reminded him evenly. Sidon looked away, huffing, but didn't argue.

Lipha looked back up at her. Zelda startled and quickly focused elsewhere. She hoped she hadn't been caught staring, but she wasn't ever that lucky, was she? 

Something cool and smooth nudged her hand and Zelda jumped, turning back to see Lipha's hand. The petite fusion only tilted their head up at her when she looked at them. Sidon, balanced easily in Lipha's other arm, didn't seem off-put, and Lipha only continued to stare––

Zelda put her hand in Lipha's. The fusion didn't smile at her again, not quite, but when they turned to lead her down towards the right bridge Zelda's eyes pinned to their swaying tailfin.

Was she still flushed? She still felt like she was flushed. It had to be because of Mipha's side of the fusion, that Lipha was so easily open and touchy with her, surely.

Surely.

She didn't dare break the silence, just in case, until she could feel the spray from the falls on her face.

Immediately, Sidon was wiggling to be put down. Lipha carefully set him on his feet and they both watched as the prince threw himself into the water, splashing both of them up to the calves. 

Lipha shot a glance at her, but Zelda only laughed. Something was so easily pried loose in her, watching Sidon splash through the scattered frogs and lotus leaves. Away from the Castle, away from the Domain. This was a pool of water that wasn't the Spring. That wasn't any Spring. It was just a little Lake, just deep enough to swim–– no Goddess staring her down, no judging deities or weight of magic and power. She was alone, alone with... with...

"We invited you, but you have nothing to swim in," Lipha said, jolting her. Zelda was almost certain the waver in their voice was of embarrassment. It was difficult to suss much out of them even with Mipha's influence. "We can find something back in the Domain if you wait here with Sidon."

"No, no, that's–– I'm alright," Zelda stammered. 

She glanced around quickly, looking for a good spot–– there! Her eyes lit up. Lipha jerked forward, freezing in place just before they touched her as Zelda struggled to pull her boots off. The fusion was still blinking, green eyes wide, when she had managed to carefully wade into the Lake, still rolling her tights as far up as she could. They still got a little wet, but she reached the large rock in the middle just well enough.

Zelda pulled herself up out of the shallow water and sat firmly down. Lipha only stared. It made her want to puff her chest out, oddly pleased with herself even as her toes were cold.

"I'm plenty happy watching from up here," She said stubbornly, "The spray feels wonderful even if I'm not swimming."

Two Zoras, blinking up at her. Zelda refused to let it make her nervous.

Finally, Lipha's expression broke. Zelda watched, fascinated, as the fusion bared their teeth in a very toothy, wide grin, all of their fins seeming to flutter where they raised. For a moment, when they locked eyes, Zelda swore they vibrated with something electric. 

It was over just as quickly. The Zora wadded into the Lake to join them, leaning down to take Sidon's hands when he swam into their legs. Still, their green eyes remained fixed on her own. 

"Whatever pleases you, Princess," Lipha said, and Zelda relaxed into her new perch as that intense focus shifted away from her. "Now, Sidon, you're working your arms too hard. You need to use your fins, like this..."

Without any real attention on her, it was the easiest thing to fall into a new role as an audience. It wasn't one Zelda got to indulge in often–– she had plenty of opportunities to watch her knight when it was just them, but... there was something so different about watching now. Combined with Mipha, Link's awkwardness and stony silence seemed to translate into something softer. More approachable. As if all of Mipha's gentleness smoothed out his edges into something that didn't feel so...  _ abrasive _ when Zelda interacted with him.

"Yes," Lipha murmured encouragingly. Sidon swam circles around them, dragging lily pads in a gentle current with him. "That's it. You're doing great."

The master sword rested, silent and untouched, against the trees. Laying quietly in the wet grass. It was beyond weird to not see on Link's back. Lipha wasn't Link, not really–– but Zelda could pick out the shape of his shoulders rounding out Mipha's slim physique. The dips and rises of the fusion's back were familiar. Their stance, their posture...

If she squinted, she could so easily imagine it to be Link, waist-deep in the lake, back bared of the sword.

Just Link. Just another Hylian.

She could so easily imagine him as someone other than a reflection of her own failure.

"Maybe later, when Link and Mipha unfuse," Lipha said to Sidon, the Zora happily holding onto the older Zora's arm as they slowly dragged him around them in circles, "you can ask Link to teach you how to hold a sword again. Would you like that?"

Sidon hummed happily, the sound bubbling up through the water.

Lipha was smiling. Something soft, and gentle, and kind.

Zelda tried to imagine that expression overlapped over Link's face.

"He would like that too," They murmured. "I can tell."

Maybe... maybe she would like to see it for herself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't sleep, so this chapter gets edited TwT its 8am and I havent slept yet so lmk if I missed anything-- I cant place it, but i feel like im missing something that isnt basic grammar in this chap. 
> 
> also! Now that I've posted this, I can finally upload all the doodles I've made puzzling out fusion designs for this fic! At least, of the ones I've written about so far. [Lipha and Zelbosa's designs](https://leviathiane.tumblr.com/post/635863857487855616/here-are-the-two-fusion-design-refs-currently-in)
> 
> Special thanks to Master_Torch_Master, who unintentionally gave me the idea of Link and Mipha being able to fuse without needing to dance. the sheer power of that concept makes me BUCK wild.

**Author's Note:**

> ive been thinking about fusion aus for months and never written one until now. It lives in my brain rent free. I didn't even plan to write this fic until it was written. 
> 
> This will maybe have... 5 chapters? 6? It's not planned, but I'm excited to write it dsnhbfjdn. Hope yall enjoyed. Lmk whether i should play more into Zelink as a romance or Zelda & Link as queerplatonic/platonic soulmates
> 
> As always, find me at [Leviathiane](https://leviathiane.tumblr.com) on tumblr!


End file.
